Loose leaf binder



Feb. 28, 1933. A. G. LOTTER LOOSE LEAF BINDER l N VEN TOR. Azw ATM/A a ATT VE'Y.

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Filed Sept. 2, 1931 Patented Feb. 28, 1933 v UNITED, STATES P ENTorncelj;

ADOLPH .G. LOTTER, OFMILWAUKEE, "Wisconsin, Assroinoniro jsmm 'nsmas vLEAF COMPANY, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN! A CORPORATION or wIscoNsIN f; I

Application filed September I This invention relatesto improvements inloose leaf binders and refers moreparticular- 1 that any tendency tospread'the heads'merely increases the grip between the locking means andthe post. i y t I i Another object of this invention is to pro-f vide alocking device of the character described which is so constructed as topermit the upper binder head to bemo'ved toward the body of leavesWithout requiring the ac-v tuation of unlocking mechanism; I In looseleaf binders of the character here} tofore in use, the means forlielea'sing the lock-' ing device has been suchthat the normal handlingof the binder caused it'to shift and release the locking device; Thisaccidental unlocking of the binder permitted leaves to drop out and veryoften resulted in serious confusion of records. It is therefore a further object of this invention to provide lock ing means for .securing abinder head to a post which may be released merely upon the shifting ofa button brother-suitable actuating member, but which embodiesm-eans forpreventing accidental shifting 1 of the button even duringjroughhandling. p I

' With the above and other objec'ets in view which will appear as thedescriptionproceeds; thls invention resldes lifllihGIlOVCl construetlon, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of'theherein-dis-- closed invention may be'made' as come withinthe scope ofthe claims-w In the accompanying drawing one. complete example of thephysical embodiment of this invention is illustratedconstructed ac,-

cording to the best mode so far devised for trate structural details 2,1931. Serial No. 560,?5 2

' 'rolien away and shown in section to illus 51 Figure 2 isalongitudinal section taken through Figurev 1 onthe=plane of the 1 Figure 3 is a detail section the manner of releasing the locking rneans{lis a perspective view of one ofthe Figure locking elements; and i i a.,Figureb isa frag entarydetail view illus-- trating the manner ofmounting the locking," elements. h '7 Referring ompa draw n h me ls an 8represent the lower and upperbinder heads," respectively, of aconventionalQloose leaf binder and between which a bodyof leaves] nowuse, steamy aide 7 is clamped, the leaves impaled. upon. e

two rigidbinder' posts 6 extended upwardly from thelowerbinder head 5. 1i

-The upper binder head 8 is removable; and is preferably of tubularconstruction having top and bottom walls 9 and 10 respectively connectedby side walls 11. :In the present instance it is composed, of twochannel sections secured together with the edges oftheir flanges;abutting to form the sides 11 byrivets 12. I The rivets 12 also passthrough end members13 which provide means for-attach ing' a cover lltothe binder head as is customary, The top and-bottomwalls 9 and 10;

havealigned openingsp15 and 16, respectively, to receive the posts; andwithin. the tubular head and adjacent each post is ailockingelementindicated generally bythe numeral 17, forreleasably locking theupper binder headv Stotheposts. Inasmuch as both locking elements 17 areidentical in construction a specific description of one will suflice forboth; f V f i The locking 1 element consists of a. stiff I flatplatemember 18 apertured as'at 19,to receive the post. The aperture 19is slightly greater thanthejfdiameter ofthe post. Atone ,end the platemember 18 has oppositely extending; lugs 20 which are received ;inopenings '21 o m d in the s e wa ls lli that heple e member 18 ispivotally mounted for movement about an axis spaced from and at rightangles to the axis of the post and elevated from the bottom wall of thebinder head;

The opening 21 is preferably formed by notching the side flanges of thechannel forming the upper portionof the binder headand i the location ofthe pivotal mounting issuch that the flat plate member normally assumesan inclined position causing the upper edge 22 and the lower edge 23 ofits aperture 19 to engage the opposite surfaces of the post.

In this inclined position with its diagonally opposite edges 22 and 23of its aperture engaging the post, it is observed that the extremelowerend of the plate member, which is rounded as at 24 for a purpose to belater described, is above the adjacent bottom wall '10'of the binderhead, so" that upon any tendency toward removal of the binderhead 8 fromthe post, th-eplate member is free to move toward a greater inclinationcausing the edges 22 and 23 of its aperture 19 to bite g5 into the postand thus prevent such movement of the binder head with respect to thepost. Engagement of the binder head onto when the'binder head8 is in itsnormal posi- "tion, but to'positi'vely insure the maintenance of thedesired inclination on theipart of the plate "member, a light spring 25is provided.

This-spring, as best illustrated in Figure 4, is formed of a singlepiece of spring wire bent to substantially U shape with its closed end26'engaging the upper face of the lower end of the plate member and withits legs 27 bent as at 28 to pass through notches 29in the oppositesides of the plate member and continue along the bottomrface of theplate member, towards the upper edge 30 of the plate member: 'The' legs27 of the spring project beyond this edge and are curled as at 31 andthen extend back toward the closed end 26 of the spring. of the spring25 e'ngage the undersurface of the top wall 9of the binder headas-clearly shown in Figure 1 so that the action of the spring forces thefree lower'end-of the plate member downwardly.

With the binder head 8 in position-on the posts, removal is impossibleunless the plate members of the locking elements are'moved outof'theirnormal inclined position to disengage their bi-tingedges 22 and 23fromthe post members, and to sheet such lifting of the plate-members, areleasing member indicated generally by thenumeral 32, is provided.

This releasing member is preferably stamped from a single strip of sheetmetal and is hi When in position these free ends 7 36, and uponlongitudinal shifting of the member 32, engage the'lower rounded edges24 of the plate members to lift the same out of their normal inclinedposition, as illustrated 1n Figure 3, and release the posts from thebiting edges 22 and 23.

The major portion of the releasing member 32 slidably rests on thebottom 10 of the binder head and adjacent the center of the r binderhead, the member 32 is bent up at spaced points as at 37 to position theportion 38' therebetween, directly beneath the top wall 9. Alongitudinal slot 39 is cut into the portion 38' to receivethe free endof a flat spring member '40, the opposite'end of which isfrivetedorotherwise secured as'at41 to the releasing member: The freeend of theflat spring member carries an actuator 42 which projects through anopening 43in the top wall of the binder head; The actuator 42 has. anenlarged finger engaging button 44' and a stem 45 provided with a lowersection 46 of large diameter and an upper section 47 of smallerdiameter.

The opening 43 is of'double key hole shape with large end portions 48connected by a narrow' intermediate portion 49 of less width than thediameter of the lower section 46", and the normal position of thebuttonunder the action of its flat spring 40, which is comparatively stiff, issuch that the lower section 46 of larger diameter is in the plane of thetop wall 9. Hence when the stem is at either end of the opening 43,itsportion 46 of larger diameter is in either one of the opening endportions 48 preventing longitudinal shifting of the releasing member 32in either direc* tion until the actuating, button is, depressed to'alignthe uppersection 47 of small diameter with the top wall 9.

From the foregoing description takenin connection with the accompanyingdrawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art towhich an invention of the character described appertains, that thelocking means of this invention. is particularly well adapted for usewith loose leafbinders of the character described and that it providesautomatically operable means for locking the binder head onto the poststo permit ready engagement of the binder head with the posts but topositively preclude any movement whatsoever of the binder head from theposts, except when'the locking means is released.

It is also apparent that the releasing member cannot shift accidentallyto'release the locking means, nor will the locking means handling of thebinder.

within the binder head simultaneously engageable with the plate membersto move the same out of their normal inclined positions to enableremoval of the binder head from the posts upon movement in onedirection, an actuating member for moving said releasing member, andcooperating means carried by the actuating member and the binder headfor positively holding the releasing member in either of its extremitiesof movement.

2. In a loose leaf binder including a post and a. hollow binder headapertured to receive the post, means for locking the binder head againstremoval from the post including an inclined plate member having anaperture to receive the post, the inclination of the plate membercausing opposite edges of the aperture to bite into the post, areleasing member for moving the plate member out of its inclinedposition, said releasing member being movable within the binder head, anactuating member having a portion without the binder head for moving thereleasing member, cooperating means carried by the actuating member andthe binder head for holding the releasing member at either of its limitsof movement, and spring means mounting the actuating member on thereleasing member and maintaining the actuating member in a position withthe said cooperating means in operative relation.

3. In a loose leaf binder including a post and a hollow binder headengageable with the post, locking means carried by the binder head forsecuring the same on the post, a lon gitudinally shiftable releasingmember for releasing the locking means and mounted within the binderhead, an actuating member for shifting the releasing member and havingapart projecting through an opening in one wall of the binder head toposition a portion thereof outsidethe binder head,

said actuating member part extending through the opening in thebinderhead wall having portions of different diameters and the opening beingsubstantially of double key hole shape whereby the engagement of theactuating member part of larger diameter with either end of the openingprecludes shifting of the releasing member, and spring means mountingthe actuating member on the releasing member and urging the same to aposition with-its part of larger diameterin theplane of the binder'hea'd Wall; 1;. 51 R 4a. Ina loose leafbinder including a post and ahollow binder head engageable' with the post, locking: means forisecuring 'the binderon the-post, releasing means shiftable within thebinder head for releasing the lock ing means,- an actuating member forthe releasing means, a flat' spring member fixed. to the releasing meansand mountingthe actuating member with a.- portion' thereofprojectingthrough an openinginone wall .of the binder head, said opening being ofsubstantially double key hole shape with enlarged ends connected by anarrow intermediate slot, and theactuating member part projectingthrough the opening having portions of large and small diameters,shifting of the releasing member being prevented by the: engagement ofthe actuating membervpart of large diameter with eitherend portionoftheopening and the spring yieldably urging the actuating member to aposition with its-part of large diameterfin the plane of said binderhead 3 wall.

5. In a loose leaf binder including a post and a hollow binder headengag'eable therewith, a. fiat element apertured to receive the post,means hingedly mounting said flat element on the binder head in such amanner that the flat element, when the binder head is in its normalposition, assumes an inclined position causing the walls of saidaperture to bite into opposite sides of the post, releasing means formoving said fiat element out of its inclined position to release thelocking engagement between the walls of said aperture and the post, anactuator carried by the releasing means and extending through anopening'in one wall of the binder head, and

means onthe actuator selectively engageable behind abutments formed byenlargements at opposite ends of the opening in the binder head 'wall tohold the actuator and the-releasing means against accidental actuationfrom either of their positions of adjustment.

6. In a loose leaf binder including a'post and a hollow binder headengageable therewith, a locking element within the binder head andengageable with the post for sec-uring the binder head andpost againstrelative movement in one direction, means mounting said locking elementfor movement to and from operative position, a releasing member withinthe binder head and shiftable to'move the locking element out of oneposition and towards the other, an actuator carried by the releasingmember and extending externally of V the binder head, and a connectionbetween the actuator and the binder head for securing the releasingmember against accidental actuation from either of its limits ofmovement,- said connection requiring depression of part of said actuatorintothe binder head to efi'ect its release.

'7. .In aloose leaf binder including-a post and a hollow binderheadengageable there- With,.1locking means Within thebinder head adapted tosecure the binder head against -movement in one direction with respectto .the post, a releasing member longitudinally shiftable within thebinder head to actuate the locking means, an actuator carried by thereleasing means and havinga part yieldably projected through anelongated opening one Wall of the binder head, said actuator part andthe elongated opening, being of such relative configuration and size asto effect an interlocking connection When the actuator is at either endportion of the slot to secure the actuator and consequently thereleasing I member against accidental actuation from either positionofadjustment and said interloc-kingconnection requiring depression of theactuator to release the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

Y ADOLPH G} LOTTER.

